The Wrath Of Eris

1~ The Red Dragon

Addy's POV

 "Hey, Lexie! Need help reading the menu?" smirked a familiar voice.

 I hoped I wasn't blushing, because the truth was that I was having trouble reading the menu. I'm pretty sure they weren't serving paparazzi pizza. No, that was pepperoni. I ignored Karmen as I took a slice of pizza and put it on my lunch tray. She didn't give up that easily, though.

 What do adults know? "Bullies are just bullies because they're misunderstood". "Ignore them and they'll go away". "All they want is a reaction". "They must have it bad at home." Ha. I bet Karmen Stride, with her thousand dollar shoes and perfectly manicured nails had it real rough at home. Parents who spoiled her rotten and turned a blind eye to her countless F's and an older sister who ensured her place right at the top of the pyramid of seventh-grade popularity. Her parents showed up every parent's night. Both of them. Yes, I bet Karmen was very misunderstood.

 I'm sure Karmen was definitely just taking out the angst of her absolutely dreadful life when she pestered me day after day for something I couldn't help. The teachers sure didn't think I was the misunderstood one when they sent me to the office for the billionth time during my very short reign at Gumm Junior High, Yes, Gumm. Like the chewy thing.

 "How do you know which of those is a one dollar or five dollar bill, Lexie? Pretty sure you can't mess up with money. After all, that's probably your mom's yearly salary in your hands."

 I clenched my fists and nearly broke the milk carton I was setting on my tray, but I stayed silent. Talking back only amused her more.

 "If you messed up, would your mom leave alone? Just like your father did? Just like your father, who's off running around with some younger, prettier woma-"

 "My father is not with another woman," I said with clenched teeth.

 "Oh, you sure about that, Lexie? Where is he, then? Dead?"

 Too late for Karmen. Alligators might be lazy, but if you poke a stick at them one time too many they'll bite your head off. I was an alligator, Karmen's insults were the jabs, and the jest about my father had been the last poke before this alligator started throwing back blows that were a million times worse.

 "MY FATHER IS NOT DEAD!"

 The electricity that crackled through my body came from nowhere. It couldn't even be a freak static electricity thing because of the hard, cold tiles of the lunchroom floors. My ears popped as Karmen stumbled back, fell, and landed on her hands and knees. The energy faded, but the smell of smoke remained in the air.

 "I-"

 I don't even know where I wanted to go with that sentence. "I'm sorry"? "I didn't do it"? "I'm not a freak?" All of those sentences were lies. I wasn't sorry in the least, except for myself, I most certainly did that, and I was absolutely, positively, undeniably a freak.

 "I'll get you for this, Lexie," snarled Karmen, scrambling to her feet and running back to her table. She didn't even need a lunch. You can bet her mom packed her a gourmet sandwich with croissants for bread and gold-plated cheese or something incredibly stupid and rich like that. She had just come back to the lunch line to torture me.

 Luckily for me, I was near the end of the line so not many people were around, and those that were didn't seem to notice I had done anything. A few just frowned and rubbed their ears. I must have popped them.Also luckily enough, Karmen was the type who never tells adults. Or listened to adults. Or obeyed adults. And yet they loved her. Typical. So, at least for now, my secret was safe. With my arch nemesis. Somehow that scenario was sounding less and less lucky by the second.